The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable

While the themes in this book are very consistent with the author's first book, the approach is completely different. The first book forced me to constantly look inward and ask myself what I could be doing better as a CEO. This book was much more team oriented, helping me to guide everyone of my direct reports in how they could be better managers and how we can function more cohesively as a team. I can't say enough about how eye opening the book was in terms of my ability to instantly improve the effectiveness of my entire team. I'm going to give this book to everyone on my team and plan to have a group discussion of what each of us learned from the book.

The book is a VERY quick read (probably an hour cover to cover) and will make a thoughtful manager completely re-think whether his or her team is optimally managed. The book allows you to quickly diagnose the area where your team has weakness and almost instantly chart a well defined course for a much more productive team.

I sincerely believe I'm a much better manager after reading this book and my approach to guiding my team is much more enlightened. For those with the courage to truly examine the way they manage and the commitment to seek out a better way, you won't find a better investment of 60 minutes of your time.


Highlights obstacles to winning teams   June 7, 2002
Teamwork is the key to effective business strategies, yet despite the hype, real teamwork remains an elusive goal for any business managers. Five Dysfunctions Of A Team highlights obstacles to winning teams and tells how to overcome them, using a fictional type narrative to demonstrate points. Entering the new breed of business novels is a title which uses a fictional overcoat to impart the basics of solid business suggestions. Recommended.


Teamwork Personified in Fable Fashion   June 5, 2002
 1 out of 2 found this review helpful

Lively writing of a corporation plagued with dysfunction bigtime. Enter Kathryn, team leader, who offsites them with five dysfunctions, then step by step leads them down path to success and team harmony.

There are many gems in this, e.g. "As soon as the reality of business problems in reintroduced to a situation like this one, she thought, people revert back to the behaviors that put them in the difficult situation in the first place." "Politics is when people choose their words and actions based on how they want others to react rather than based on what they really think." "Trust is knowing that when a team member does push you, they're doing it because they care about the team."

Much here to digest, ponder, meditate on. Helpful are wrapup section along with constant application thought starters.

Excellent resource for team leaders and players.


A Project Management Professional   May 27, 2002
 22 out of 28 found this review helpful

One of the most difficult challenges when starting a new project is forming a team ready to row in the same direction to achieve project objectives. I have long searched for a tool to overcome this challenge and have found just what I need in Patrick Lencioni's new book, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team. His easy to read style of writing allows readers to grasp the material quickly. The story of a new CEO unfolds in the first five minutes and keeps unfolding until one is finished with the book at around ninety minutes. I found my answers in "The Model" which follows the fable. This book will be on my desk for easy reference every time a new project is started, for this book is an absolute must for project managers as well as CEO's.


Fantastic Job   May 18, 2002
 3 out of 3 found this review helpful

Lencioni rocked my managing world. This fictional tale illustrates the reality behind team efforts. It opened my eyes to a new world on cooperating. I heartily reccommend that you read this.